Justin Bieber. Jaden Smith. Two names you probably know, two names that some of you have either rolled your eyes at or spat vile about after hearing/reading. Hello, my name is María Young and I want to learn more about your thought process.
Now, I don’t really like children. You may know that, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, or if you know me personally. They are annoying. And loud. And sticky. And tacky. There are many reasons to not like children. I like my own, and I like a few others* but really: no. Some kids are awesome and some aren’t, just like some children are ugly and some aren’t – no matter what is politically or socially correct, that’s just true. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. Hats off to teachers and child care providers because GOD KNOWS. That being said, you won’t hear me calling a kid ‘fetus’ or ‘asshole’ or anything of the like. I mean I might say that kid is acting like an asshole, but even that totally under my breath to my best friend or something, in private. They’re just kids.
Justin Bieber is just a child. As is Jaden Smith. I would understand if they’d actually done something wrong or offensive in some way besides being popular, like, say, Miley Cyrus – I’ve argued before that her parents are at fault for her slutting it up for adolescent audiences and I can see why she would turn someone’s stomach. She’s innappropriate on a bunch of different levels. Justin and Jaden are not. They are children who are living out their dreams and it’s sad to me that adults are doing their damnedest to tear them down.
How would you feel if Justin was your child? Your little boy, your son that had spent his entire life singing and playing instruments, who’d always dreamed of making music for a living, who caught a lucky break? How would you feel if your young son was then was hit by the some of the harshest backlash in recent times by people damn near twice his age? What about Jaden – if he didn’t do anything but share your name and your charisma but people felt like he was a product of nepotism and privilege, and used that to discredit his actual talent and attack him by slinging insults about everything from his hair to his ears. Would you think these things were okay, or would you be wondering what the hell could make an adult feel the need or desire to hurt a child just because they don’t care for his music or his acting or his attitude or whatever?
I just don’t understand. I want to know what makes adults talk shit about children. I want to know why being a “celebrity” seems to give the public a get out of jail free card for bashing little kids. Tell me, please.
I think Justin Bieber is an adorable, age appropriate teen idol for young girls. Even if he has been groomed and manufactured by the industry, even if he has a “swagger coach”. Don’t like his music – fine. Don’t listen to it. Jaden Smith seems like a kid with a mind of his own. Take his appearance on Letterman: I didn’t see insolent, I saw independent minded. Don’t like his acting or the fact that they remade The Karate Kid or the fact that he’s not all “yes sir/ yes ma’am”? Don’t see his films. I think that’s a pretty simple solution.
(For the record, I don’t care for Justin Bieber so I pretend he doesn’t exist – it’s really not that hard, no matter what the trending topics on Twitter are.)
*OMG I LOVE BABIES!!!
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
i’m not a fan of either but certainly wouldn’t talk bad about them (online or otherwise). then again, i don’t really do that about adults, either, unless they make really awful decisions and then blame others for it. those folks need to be criticized.
June 21, 2010 at 11:02 am
I don’t either. Well, except for the usual snide remarks, I guess. I can’t say I don’t talk about people because I’m pretty sure that’s a lie. I think really awful thoughts about people all of the time so that may be just as bad. But as far as just shit talking or constantly disparaging for no real reason – that’s not me. Never has been.
Ugh. I don’t care so much about Jaden Smith, but I cannot stand Justin Bieber from his voice alone. That said, I really don’t care enough about either one of them (as with most celebrities) to necessarily call them names or not. (But I am extremely glad my own 8 year old can’t stand Justin Bieber, so I am lucky that I don’t have to listen to him in my home.)
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June 21, 2010 at 11:06 am
But you see what I’m saying, right? Not liking him or his music isn’t an excuse for the shit they say about him. I read something retweeted on Twitter yesterday about going back in time and castrating his father so that he was never born. I just don’t understand that. It’s sad because most of the people I follow on Twitter are parents, and that just makes it worse that they’d do that. How is it any different than if your child was being viciously bullied at school for doing absolutely nothing, you know?
It seems that in America no one likes a winner. No one likes a winner who didn’t have to work as hard as they do to reach the level of success they have reached. I think its all just bitter jealousy towards them and anyone else who makes it big on a lucky break.
Personally, I don’t give a crap about either of them. I wouldn’t be cruel to them either though as they are just kids. I don’t like Bieber’s music so I simply don’t listen or buy it. Same goes for Miley, but I am tired of seeing her antics everywhere and fear for her future. Her parents are turning themselves into the Lohan’s part 2 and its just annoying. As for Jaden Smith? He is bearing the brunt of people upset they re-made karate kid in the first place.
All in all though, I don’t understand why so many people give a crap about child stars. They are just kids. Certainly if the golden shoes were on the critics children’s feet, the tune would be different. God forbid anyone should be really good at something until they are “old enough” right? I think these people need to focus their angry energy at how our nation is being run and not our teen sensations.
Hockeymandad´s last blog ..First Day of Summer
June 21, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Ugh Miley Cyrus. Look at this shit:
http://tinyurl.com/33gafar
SHE’S STILL 17 and no one buys her music except little girls younger than her! Her popularity enrages me.
And I agree about Jaden. The Karate Kid pissed a lot of people off.
Most of the time, I think it’s just haters who are jealous that their kids (or they themselves) never made it while “some lucky kid” caught a break, or was born into the right family. They turn their disappointment in themselves outward at the easiest target. As for me, my dismay is more at the Beiber worship more than the kid himself. And when I do poke fun at it, it’s in the spirit of poking fun at it, rather than any true ill will. Hell, I brushed my kid’s hair like Beiber because he said “the girls like it.” Most of the time, I think I’m just becoming a cranky old man. And bitching about the young generation is what cranky old men like to do!
BusyDad´s last blog ..A Father’s Job
June 21, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Your son knows exactly what he’s doing. Just be glad baby girl isn’t his age right now – there’d be no escaping The Bieber!
Word.
Miss Grace´s last blog ..Father’s Day
June 21, 2010 at 4:47 pm
LOL, TY.
Absolutely no hate for Jaden at all. I think that kid is talented. And Justin B. actually has really catchy and cute songs that I can let my 6 year old listen to. I’m just very amused that he looks like a cute lesbian, but hating on him? That’s crazy. He’s just this generation’s ‘teen heartthrob’ – and a totally appropriate one at that. And really- anything is better than Miley.
June 21, 2010 at 4:46 pm
We must remember – Justin Timberlake started out this way. And just look at him now… YUM.
June 21, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I think Justin will be adorable when, in 20 years, he and his sister play the Flamingo ballroom in Vegas five nights a week. Oh wait. That’s Donny Osmond.
Let’s just hope that Justin takes the Donny route and not the Leif Garrett route.
June 21, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I hope so too. I hope he doesn’t let this shit get to him, and the people around him are positive forces.
Just taught 4 English classes back to back using Never Say Never, twice each (with video), and it has grown on me. It`s a hell of a lot better than the Carpenters (who I also hear, no bullshit, a minimum of 2x`s a day, plus way too often in the classroom, and have for almost a year). Even if I get tired of Justin and Jaden and stop thinking they are cute (really, though, they just are), it would be kind of assholish for me to run around saying really hateful stuff about kids just out there doing their thing. They are kids. Kids. And good for them. And, for now, they provide me with an example of current music (here that means anyone dead less than 25 years) from my country with lyrics and video I can share with my students. I didn`t tell them that we have haters. I pretend like it`s all love and peace and Karate Kid, which, shockingly to me, 99.5% of the Japanese people I asked, have never heard of, old version or remake. Seriously. Haven`t blogged or commented on one in months, so you get a novel because I saw this right when I did. Sorry or you`re welcome, whichever. :)
Maggie´s last blog ..Monkey Time – Winter Travel – Day Four – 2nd Day in Beppu
June 23, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Do they love Big Bang over there? I LOVE BIG BANG! They’re Korean but some of their songs are in Japanese so I figure over there teaching you must be just inundated with it. God those guys are hot.
I’m totally off topic here, I know.
June 23, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I’m going to play devil’s advocate and probably come off as a child star hater, but first: What makes you think that Miley Cyrus is slutty or inappropriate? I think it’s kind of hypocritical that you wrote a post yelling at people for saying bad things about kids, and yet you called Miley slutty. I’m not really a fan of her — I’ll get to that in a minute — but I don’t see her as being even close to slutty. She’s a seventeen-year-old, almost an adult, and from what I’ve seen of her, she’s still pretty damn classy. (I have a feeling a lot of that comes from her parents; I’m 100% sure Billy Ray Cyrus would kick her ass if she did anything stupid, as opposed to the parents of child stars like Britney Spears.) I don’t think she’s a bad role model for young girls, in the sense that she is always dressed appropriately and doesn’t dance in videos shaking a barely covered ass. A lot of people are giving her shit for getting a tattoo, which I think is ridiculous because most seventeen-year-olds these days have tattoos, and hers isn’t even really noticeable; little kids who still watch Hannah Montana or see her in concert will never see it (not to mention that most kids’ parents have tattoos anyway).
That being said…
I can understand why people hate kiddie singers. Obviously, if you don’t like the music, don’t listen to it, but it kills me that kids are given record deals. Record deals are handed out like lollipops at a bank; you rarely have to have any real talent and you rarely have to work for it. I fully respect people like Trent Reznor and Lady Gaga, who have actually worked their way up through the ranks and have actually built a career for themselves. When it comes to kids, though, I just have to shake my head. These kids aren’t learning any work ethic. They’re just being handed something — thanks, Disney — and are living a life that even most responsible adults can’t handle.
You could argue that kids need music from people in their generation, but seriously, that’s what we had Disney Sing-Along VHS tapes for when I was a kid, and those Disney song cassettes. I was perfectly content listening to those, and as soon as I got old enough to really appreciate music, moved on to actual artists. A child soaring to the tops of the charts was unheard of. There shouldn’t be kid singers plastered on the covers of every magazine. Maybe they’re cute, and maybe they have some kind of talent, but holy crap, they are just kids. You don’t see any kids working at Walmart or running businesses!
You could also argue that kids need role models their age. As much as I like Miley, it’s pretty damn obvious that she only got a TV show because of who her father is. I think she actually has some talent, though, which is lucky for her because otherwise she would just be a quickly fading fad. I think that kids do need role models, but not the kind that are shoved in their face by Disney or MTV or Nickelodeon. A pre-pubescent boy with a combover plastered on a J-14 magazine is not a role model. What kind of positive influence does he have on anyone, really? What else does he do that is positive other than just singing and dancing? Okay, so he’s dressed appropriately and smiles a lot. You can’t even say that his music is meaningful, because what could a kid his age possibly know about being in love?
I wouldn’t sink so low as to badmouth any of these kids, though. They are, after all, just kids, which is why I don’t think the record deals should fly. It amazes me that their parents even thought it would be a good idea to let their kids play grownup — Billy Ray included.
Elizabeth Kaylene´s last blog ..Protected: GIRLS ONLY: Tampons that almost make your period happy
June 23, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I didn’t yell at anyone. Not even close.
“I don’t think she’s a bad role model for young girls, in the sense that she is always dressed appropriately and doesn’t dance in videos shaking a barely covered ass. “ You are very, very wrong.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g208/mrsyoung84/miley-cyrus-hot-legs-on-stage-short.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g208/mrsyoung84/miley-cyrus-hot-legs-and-tight-shor.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g208/mrsyoung84/miley-cyrus-buttcheeks-short-shorts.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g208/mrsyoung84/miley-cyrus-shaking-her-hot-ass-ani.gif
(I didn’t name these BTW, I just saved them and didn’t change it. But, yeah, whomever had these last thinks she’s HOT, eh?)
That’s her, shaking her barely covered ass. And that’s not a one time thing – it’s ongoing, and has been for a while. Let’s not even talk about the shot where you can see just about all of her crotch because she’s on stage in lingerie that Perez Hilton got in trouble for last week. Why is she on stage in lace lingerie, grinding up on her adult male dancers? That’s slutty. I’m not saying it to be mean, it’s simply a matter of fact statement. Maybe you could call my views on Miley Cyrus vs. the views in this post hypocritical, but I think it’s a stretch to do so. I didn’t call Miley anything. My issue has always been with her parents anyway.
Look at the audiences in those pictures above. Those are children in those audiences. Those are shows performed for minors, for kids that watch Hannah Montana. How big of a percentage do you think listen to/know of Miley Cyrus that don’t know her from Hannah Montana? How much of her fan base do you think isn’t younger than she is? I’m betting not much, in either case. You (and Billy Ray Cyrus) and I have very, very different definitions of the word “appropriate”, I think.
What you’re saying about kids on magazines and in the industry is, yes, applicable to adults too and it’s never going to change. All we can do is filter through the bullshit and get to the good stuff. Me? I’m taking my girls to a Kings of Leon concert in September. It’ll be their first. I’ll be damned if they think real, good, currently produced southern infused rock/pop comes out of Miley flippin’ Cyrus.
And Speaking of GaGa – I miss the old GaGa! This new one never smiles and is much too pale and skinny and just looks miserable. Her new image as a walking art piece has lost all irony and humor, and I don’t like it!
June 23, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Ho-ly-shit.
My jaw just about hit the floor when I saw those pics. That is NOT the Miley Cyrus I used to know!
I’m so sorry for calling you a hypocrite. I had no idea. That is definitely not appropriate, AT ALL.
I hope your kids like Kings of Leon. Kids need to be exposed to good music, and NOT Justin Bieber.
Holy shit. I still can’t believe those pictures!
Elizabeth Kaylene´s last blog ..Protected: GIRLS ONLY: Tampons that almost make your period happy
June 23, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I figured you didn’t know! Most of me was like “no way…there’s NO WAY she’s seen that girl’s shows in the past few years.”
If she was an adult, I wouldn’t mind her. But she’s marketed towards children, and she is a kid. That’s my issue with her popularity. I feel like if you’re going to be for children by children, be appropriate. If you’re an adult I know what to expect. I expect Beyoncé to show up on stage like that, not Miley. It’s like walking into a G rated film only to see some Battle Royale type violence, you know?
Also, I need the password to your blog because that title is making me oddly curious.
June 23, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Hahaha, I’ve emailed it to you.
I completely agree. There is no excuse for her dressing like that at a children’s show. None at all. I’m still completely flabbergasted by this.
Elizabeth Kaylene´s last blog ..Protected: GIRLS ONLY: Tampons that almost make your period happy
I don’t get the hate either.
I don’t like Justin’s music, and Jaden Smith is a cute kid, whom I wished his parents would wait till he was older to put on the screen, but this is my beliefs. Miley….when she was 16 dating that 21 year old guy Disney should have dropped her. I’m not stupid, 21 guys want sex, and her parents allowed her to date him. I think Miley is turning into a Lohan. Thankfully my son never like her show or that Jamie Lynn spears show either. He always that they acted fake, apparently he was on to something.
June 24, 2010 at 8:26 pm
My four-year-old son loves that Justin Bieber song “Baby, Baby”. He thinks it’s about babies, so he sings it to his little sister and THAT I find adorable. (Also, I think he, like Busy Dad’s Fury, has figured out that the “chicks dig it”…)
Justin and Jaden seem like really good and hard-working kids considering what else is being marketed to kids… I’m not exactly gaga over them, but that’s okay. I’m 30!
There will always people out there who try to set themselves apart or far superior by hating on anything “popular” and “mainstream”. I have a friend who is always “Ugh this…” and “I can’t believe anyone likes that…” The other day she tweeted her hatred for Parents Mag… of all things. I mean, give me a break. Unsubscribe!
It’s hard enough when that hate is directed at an adult, who presumably knows how to handle/ignore it. But to direct that hate on a kid?! Many of us know what it was like to be bullied in school or at home. I remembering feeling so powerless, only to be told that I brought it on myself or just ignore it. (I had some stellar teachers. Can’t you tell?) These hater are nothing more than those same bullies, picking on someone half their size/ age.
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What I find comical is that adults are even concerning themselves so much with these kids. It’s like some deeply stemmed issue from their high school days is surfacing itself and creating this. Jealous? What creates such anger and hostility? I mean, really, that’s what it is, right? Otherwise, why would they even bother.
I’m with you… I could really give a damn. I have three kids ages 13, 11, and 7. They listen to music from Katy Perry to Jennifer Knapp (old school Jennifer Knapp). We don’t really talk about what the artists are saying or doing in their real lives. Really, none of us care so much.
BUT, I have to admit….. every now and then I find myself clicking through the “news” on People. So I guess I do give a little bit of a damn. ;o)
You know, the world was a much nicer place when God was allowed in school. SBNR = spiritual but not religious. So your daughter heard this prayer or poem all year and you were not aware. Maybe she’s a nicer kid because of the poem, maybe she learned some gratitude. I for one don’t like where the world is heading. You can see it happening all over the world. If we become a science only world, what are we to do with our passions, feelings, love, kindness, joy? Will that be outlawed too? Tolerance is a two-way street. I have children, when they learn stuff in school that I disagree with, or if they come home with behaviors that I don’t approve of, I speak up. You can do the same. Tell your daughter you don’t believe in God- but that she is free to choose her own belief system.
It’s really getting to be rather nauseating, the way everyone carries on about God. Looks like we’re not doing so well without Him/Her. The God you don’t believe in is of your own creation.
August 24, 2010 at 12:44 am
I closed comments on that post for a reason – but I’ll address one part of your comment because I found it presumptuous and offensive – my daughter is one of the sweetest, nicest, most gracious children I’ve ever known and I’m not just saying that because she’s mine. She doesn’t need to be taught a prayer or poem or anything else for that, especially not when it’s AGAINST THE LAW.
I appreciate the personal note – I too am totally offended at the presumptuousness…. by many atheists. I am so tired of it all. I have 2 kids and 5 grandkids and they’re all perfect – just the way God made them. The path we are all on is the path to God. Resistance only peaks curiosity – so if you really want your child to be an atheist – you should not object to such things as prayer in school, because you only make her more curious. Let her learn from life – you can’t shelter your kids – the more you try, the more they stray. It works for Christians and Muslims and Jews and other religious believers as well. If you force a child into Muslim way of life and they become exposed to other ways – they will leave their way to explore the other. Only if they truly understand their religion from a love point of view, will they go back. The God you believe is your own creation, and you don’t like what you’ve created, so you’re forcing your beliefs upon your child and now upon me.
You might be a great parent – morals have nothing to do with one’s religion or lack thereof. Morals are natural. Our multi-faceted nature also can make us violate our inborn moralities. This is why the Lord, in the garden, said to Cain “sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”. Even animals have morals and will not attack a human being unless they have been attacked in the past. Love rules.
By the way, I do not always accept THE LAW, I prefer to live by the SPIRIT and the HEART.
Anyway, thanks.